Star of Wonder
by vamp926
Summary: Spoilers for 7x10 - Faith. Tag to the episode.


Ziva looked up at Tony, who was pacing nervously across the bullpen. She had helped him go through Dolores's files and find a gift to give her. Now all he had to do was just give it to her. Suddenly, he stopped pacing, and turned towards Ziva. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. She felt her heart skip a beat, and her breathing sped up.

"Ziva," Tony said, coming to stand in front of her desk. "I know we said that we weren't going to give presents, and normally I wouldn't, but I saw this, and well, you need it," Tony said, handing the small box over to Ziva. She stared at the box for what seemed like eternity and then she slowly opened it. Laying inside was a gold Star of David necklace, that looked almost exactly like the one she had lost in Africa.

"Oh Tony," she breathed quietly, staring at the box, and the contents it held.

"I noticed that you had lost yours, and you… you just didn't look right without it," Tony said. Ziva continued to stare at the necklace in silence, and for a while, neither one of them said anything. Finally Ziva looked back up at Tony.

"Will you help me put it on?" she asked as she rose from her seat. Tony took the box from her and she lifted her hair from her back and pulled it over her shoulder, out of the way. He raised his arms over her and brought the necklace around her neck and she felt the comfortable, familiar weight, settle on her chest. She raised her hand and touched the charm dangling from the chain. Tony's hands, now done fastening the chain, came to rest on her shoulders.

"There," Tony said quietly. "How did you lose it anyway?"

"Saleem, he…" Ziva's voice caught in her throat. "He ripped it off my neck." She could feel Tony's hands tighten on her shoulders at the mention of Saleem. "But, everything is back to normal now, yes?" Ziva asked, turning to face Tony. His hands slid from her shoulders, sending shivers down her spine.

"I wouldn't say normal," Tony said softly. Ziva could tell that he was leaning into her, and as much as she wanted to kiss him, she pulled away.

"Come on, you are going to be late," Ziva said, picking up the box from where Tony had sat it on the floor. She could see the look of disappointment on his face, and quickly turned away from him. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

After Tony had presented Dolores with her gift, he and Ziva returned to the bullpen to gather their things. Ziva bent over to pick her bag up off of the floor, and when she stood up, she found herself face to face with Tony, who was looking down on her.

"Want to come over? It's A Wonderful Life is playing at the DiNozzo theater, accompanied by the best egg nog this end of DC?" Tony asked. Ziva considered the proposition, and then smiled.

"Of course."

Ziva shifted her weight impatiently as she waited for Tony to open the door to his apartment. Finally, he had wrangled the lock into submission and pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing Ziva to go in first. She stepped inside and dropped her back under the coat rack and then took her coat off. Behind her, she could feel Tony doing the same.

Tony collected everything they needed for the movie; popcorn, egg nog, napkins, everything, and joined her on the couch, where she had already arranged herself in a corner. Tony handed her a glass of egg nog and settled next to her in the middle of the couch. He arranged himself, putting his arm on the back of the chair, his thumb occasionally brushing the back of Ziva's neck. He started the movie and they descended into silence.

Ziva awoke with a start, not realizing she had fallen asleep. She looked at the TV and saw that the credits were paused on the screen. She could hear Tony moving around in the kitchen, his voice singing softly. Ziva rose from the couch as quietly as she could and softly moved from the living room to the kitchen, pausing at the doorway.

"_Star of wonder, star of light, star of royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light,"_ Tony sang softly as he put the dishes away into the cabinets.

"You have a wonderful singing voice," Ziva said, causing Tony to turn around, clearly startled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Tony shook his head.

"No, I just wasn't paying attention," Tony said.

"When did I fall asleep?" Ziva asked.

"Towards the middle," Tony said, placing the dish towel on the side of the sink. Silence descended between them, and Ziva fingered her necklace, a nervous habit returning. "Thank you, for coming over and watching the movie with me," Tony said finally. Ziva smiled.

"You're welcome. I enjoyed watching it last year," Ziva said. Tony approached her slowly, and she froze, her fingers tangled in the chain of her new necklace.

"Merry Christmas, Ziva," Tony said, pulling her into his arms. Not what she had been expecting, she relaxed and hugged him back.

"Merry Christmas, Tony," she replied.


End file.
